Volunteer Functions Inventory

This page is for teaching and research related to use of Clary and Snyder's Volunteer Functions Inventory which assesses motivations for, and rewards (functions) of, volunteering - or volunteer motivations.

Assumptions

 * 1) People are purposeful, planful, goal-directed -- Volunteers engage in volunteer work in order to satisfy important personal goals
 * 2) Different people may do similar things for different reasons -- Volunteers performing the same volunteer activity for the same organization may have different reasons for volunteering
 * 3) Any one individual may be motivated by more than one need or goal -- An individual volunteer may be attempting to satisfy two or more motives through one activity at your organization
 * 4) Outcomes depend on the matching of needs and goals to the opportunities afforded by the environment – Successful volunteer recruitment, satisfaction, and retention is tied to the ability of the volunteer experience to fulfil the volunteer’s important motives